Tuesday, December 9, 2025

News

Georgia's embattled ruling party celebrates after receiving letter from President Trump on Independence Day

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TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgian Dream (GD) hailed a congratulatory letter from U.S. President Donald Trump to President Mikheil Kavelashvili, interpreting it as the definitibve answer to which side of the political divide he supports after months of uncertainty. The letter, released on May 26 to mark Georgia’s Independence Day, expressed Washington’s commitment to “peaceful and productive relations” … Read more

Georgia’s checks on Armenian cognac trucks trigger speculation that 'geopolitical shifts' are at play

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TBILISI, DFWatch–Frustration is mounting among Armenian alcoholic beverage exporters as their trucks carrying cognac and spirits are being stopped and checked while transiting Georgia en route to Russia, prompting diplomatic exchanges between Yerevan and Tbilisi. On May 13, Armenian beverage producers demonstrated outside the Georgian Embassy in Yerevan, alleging that Georgian authorities were deliberately hindering … Read more

Georgia's Independence Day celebrations pass without incident

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TBILISI, DFWatch–Despite deepening polarization, this year’s Independence Day celebrations in Tbilisi passed without major disruptions. Commentators credited careful planning and the physical separation of events with avoiding incidents, as the country remains engulfed in a deep political crisis where opposition leaders still, 212 days after the election, and with 180 days of continuous rallies, refuse … Read more

Which May 26 events will foreign officials attend – the government’s or the opposition’s?

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TBILISI, DFWatch–As Georgia prepares for its Independence Day celebrations, official guests will be faced with a tricky question: Whose celebration to attend? The opposition’s or the government’s? Or both? Which event foreign dignitaries choose to attend could signal their stance on Georgia’s deepening political crisis. After 235 days of protests bolstered by Western governments, the … Read more

British journalist denied entry to Georgia

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TBILISI, DFWatch–British journalist Will Neal, who has been a resident of Georgia since 2022, was denied re-entry into the country on May 20 after returning from a trip to the United Kingdom and the European Union. Neal was turned away at the Armenian-Georgian border without a clear explanation, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which … Read more

Rubio's remarks fail to clarify Trump's Georgia policy

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TBILISI, DFWatch–Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that the U.S. will consider measures against anti-American governments, answering a question about Georgia. Opposition media celebrated Rubio’s comments, but the GD government downplayed them, stressing that Georgia was not explicitly mentioned. Rubio’s testimony in the U.S. Senate has fueled widespread speculation among Georgian analysts and political … Read more

Constitutional Court combines three suits against “Russian Law”, its chairman admits receiving EU funding in the past

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The three lawsuits filed in the Constitutional Court of Georgia on the Law on “Transparency of Foreign Influence” will be combined into one proceeding, CCG Chairman Merab Turava said to the journalist on Monday, adding “I don’t think that I and my judges have any less European aspirations than you.” The President of Georgia, more … Read more

Coffee shop owner from Moscow, who angered Putin supporters, leaves Russia, moves to Tbilisi

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TBILISI, DFWatch–A woman from Moscow Oblast, who caused great anger among Vladimir Putin supporters by kicking out a Russian soldier fighting against Ukraine from her coffee shop, has moved to Tbilisi with only ‘two bags’, leaving behind a chain of coffee shops. “I love my home, but I think that it’s better for me to … Read more

22 y/o Georgian fighter sentenced to life in Donbass for killing three Russian infantrymen

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TBILISI, DFWatch–The court of the “Donetsk People’s Republic” has sentenced a Georgian fighter Mamuka Gatserelia to life imprisonment for killing three Russian infantrymen, the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Russian Federation states. The 22-year-old volunteer, whose parents reportedly originate from occupied Abkhazia, was found guilty under two articles of the Russian Criminal Code – Article … Read more

Major reshuffle in Georgian politics: PM trades seat with ruling party chairman

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TBILISI, DFWatch–After Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili returned to public politics in late December, everyone in Georgia expected major upheavals in the government, although only a small number of commentators predicted dismissal of the prime minister. However, this became clear on Sunday, when the pro-government TV company Imedi reported that the chairman of Georgian Dream … Read more